The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for ejecting paper in printers, copiers and the like.
A conventional paper ejecting apparatus for a video color printer is illustrated in FIG. 1. The printer is a video color printer that is commercially available as Model No. VY-Pl manufactured by Hitachi Co., Japan. In the Hitachi apparatus, a printed sheet of paper 11 is transferred between upper and lower panels 1 and 2 by feed rollers 3 and 4, rotating in contact with each other. Thereafter, paper 11 is pushed forward by push arms 5 and 6 between panels 1 and 2, and then is outwardly ejected by exhaust rollers 9 and 10. Push arms 5 and 6 provided with sector gears 51 and 61, respectively, are installed to pivot on axes 52 and 62, respectively, so as to allow sector gears 51 and 61 to rotate while meshed. Also, one push arm 5 is provided with an interlocking pin 53 to be drawn by a spring 7, so that push arms 5 and 6 are operated by the pulling and pushing of interlocking pin 53 by means of a slide member 8 moving in the directions of arrows A. That is, when slide member 8 pushes interlocking pin 53, the gap between push arms 5 and 6 is widened, and as paper 11 is supplied between panels 1 and 2, slide member 8 retreats. According to this operation, the gap between push arms 5 and 6 is narrowed by the restoring strength of spring 7, thus forcing paper 11 out.
In the conventional apparatus thus described the push arms 5 and 6 function as tongs, and work very swiftly due to the resilience of the spring. The apparatus, however, has problems in that the paper, which is thin and flexible, is easily crumpled, jammed, or both, in the interval between the panel and the push arm, thus creating trouble in ejecting the paper. Further, since the traveling distance of the paper pushed by the push arms 5 and 6 is not long enough to completely eject the paper, the exhaust rollers 9 and 10 must be installed to completely eject the paper. As a result, the apparatus is complicated in structure, expensive, and generates considerable noise.